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Hurricane "Cosmo" Kitty Ale Sourdough Bread

Hurricane "Cosmo" Kitty Ale Sourdough Bread

As I mentioned in my previous post I recently purchased a Brod and Taylor proofer and I have been experimenting with it to see how it affects the sourness and overall bread.

For this latest bread I decided to let the starter ferment at 85 degrees inside the proofer for around 10 hours. Probably could have cut the time down considerably in hindsight but it doesn't look like the extended time really hand any effect on the overall bread.

When I mixed the starter which had French style flour along with Durum flour along with the flour for the main dough I let it sit inside the proofer for 2 hours at 85 degrees while I did my normal stretch and folds at 15 minute intervals for a total of 3 S&F's.

I used one of the Ale's I purchased a few weeks ago called Hurricane Kitty in place of most of the water and since one of my apprentices insisted on helping on this particular bake I named it after him.

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The next day I took the dough out of the refrigerator and put it in the proofer at 80 degrees for 1.5 hours. I shaped the loaves and let it proof again but at 85 degrees for around 1.5 hours before baking.

The final result was excellent. A nice open crumb with not too thick of a crust. The onions really came through and the small amount of sprouted wheat really combined well with the French flour and Durum flour. The crumb is very soft and it made a perfect sandwich bread for my pastrami. I really like the way this one came out and will make this one again for sure.

Levain Directions

Mix all the levain ingredients together for about 1 minute and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temperature for around 7-8 hours or until the starter has doubled. (Note: I used my proofer set at 86 degrees F.) I usually do this the night before.

Either use in the main dough immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

Main Dough Procedure

Mix the flours, and Hurricane Kitty Ale together in your mixer or by hand until it just starts to come together, maybe about 1 minute. Let it rest in your work bowl covered for 20-30 minutes. While that is resting mix the onions in the water and let it rest. Next add the salt, starter (cut into about 7-8 pieces), walnut oil, and rehydrated onions in water and mix on low for 4 minutes. Remove the dough from your bowl and place it in a lightly oiled bowl or work surface and do several stretch and folds. Let it rest covered for 10-15 minutes and then do another stretch and fold. Let it rest another 10-15 minutes and do one additional stretch and fold. After a total of 2 hours place your covered bowl in the refrigerator and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours. (Note: I used my proofer set at 85 degrees).

When you are ready to bake remove the bowl from the refrigerator or proofer and let it set out at room temperature still covered for 1.5 to 2 hours. (Note: I used the proofer set at 80 degrees). Next remove the dough and shape as desired. and place your dough into your proofing basket(s) and cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray. The dough will take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your room temperature. (I let the dough proof in my proofer for 1.5 hours at 85 degrees). Let the dough dictate when it is read to bake not the clock.

Around 45 minutes before ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees F. and prepare it for steam. I have a heavy-duty baking pan on the bottom rack of my oven with 1 baking stone on above the pan and one on the top shelf. I pour 1 cup of boiling water in the pan right after I place the dough in the oven.

Right before you are ready to put them in the oven, score as desired and then add 1 cup of boiling water to your steam pan or follow your own steam procedure. I forgot to include the black sesame seeds I used on one of the loaves. I simply spritzed the loaf with some water and then sprinkled the seeds on.

After 1 minute lower the temperature to 450 degrees. Bake for 35-50 minutes until the crust is nice and brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205 degrees.

Take the bread out of the oven when done and let it cool on a bakers rack before for at least 2 hours before eating.

Comments

That's a fine bake, Ian. These loaves have piqued my interest but there's no good beers around here---none! Or perhaps I'm not looking hard enough. I've also noticed that you used walnut oil rather than other oils? Any reason for this?

Thanks Zita...not that I'm a beer drinker, but I like to use them in cooking for marinades and in making breads. Too bad you can't find any by you. I'm surprised that it's so hard for you to source by you.

The Wal-nut oil adds a bit of a nutty flavor. It's not overpowering and I'm not sure how much flavor it really adds, but I figured it was worth adding to complete the flavor profile.Glad you like it.

noticed that the sour was more pronounced or not. I can already tell, since you didn't mention it, that you missed ay more sour, so ask your apprentice Cosmo what he thinks and get back to me :-) The rest of the bake looks great, inside and out, so you better give a promotion to to Cosmo and make him the 2nd apprentice after Mookie, because he stepped up your game another notch.

Very nice baking and I'm guessing the sour was a little more tangy too - or you better return the proofer and get Mookie back to work too!

I've got a SD version of the Ballymaloe WW bread with Guinness inb teh fridge chillin out. I add a big WW scald to this too and am thinking about baking it like a pumpernickel since I don't have a pumpernickel bush and my apprentice hasn't found one yet - She's more of a doofus than I am and twice a cute too :-)

Thanks DA...can't tell for sure if the sour was increased or not since the beer and onions really took over the taste, especially the onions. I love the onions but probably should have left them out to see the tang and sour flavor increase. I like your brown SD bake and look forward to hearing about it. I am going to try one of your versions so you have to tell me which one is better.

Looks like there's several periods of toasty temps to get the LAB critters going and I think the durum flour ought to have some solid ash content. So maybe there just wasn't enough proof time of the final dough for the acid to develop? Looks like 2 hours bulk and 1.5 final proof after shaping.

At least I've got one mystery solved- you're not a beer drinker- that's how you can bring yourself to put such tasty looking brews in your bread all the time!

The whole idea of the proofer or at least one of them is to use it to ferment the levain, and dough at the ideal temperature to acomplish the outcome desired. My dough was in the refrigerator bulk fermenting for at least 12 hours so between that and the 85 degree rise after shaping and the 85 degree 10 hour rest for the starter originally this should have been sufficient to develop a nice sour flavor. After eating this bread for the last few days, I can add it certainly does have a nice sour tang to it and coupled with the beer and onions and flour mixture is a perfect combination.

Also, while it is true since I am not big beer drinker and prefer vodka drinks and white wine, I don't worry about using expensive alchol in my baking or cooking....although some times it is not by design :).

Ian, I have never used beer in my bread. Yours came out so nicely, I had better try. I didn't know that you got a B&T. That should be great for your baking. And how is that beer? (Good - so you put it into bread, or Bad - you don't care about drinking it so you put it into bread.) I haven't seen it around here. Oh, one more thing - Pretty Kitty! -Varda

Thanks Varda for your comments. I love using beer/ale/stoudt in my breads, a lot more than drinking them I seldom drink beer but I buy them all the time for baking and making marinades for steaks. They opened up a store out east which carries all NY State beers, wines and spirits so I picked up a variety pack of beers/ales. You have to give it a try as I think you will be very glad you did. If you are into beer this one was a nice flavorful one and very wheaty smelling.

Cosmo is our baby kitty...one of 5 and one of my favorites. He likes to sample my bread and other food while I'm trying to eat :).

In my house too a lot of beer & wine goes in cooking. These days my favourite beers for bread are Japanese fruit beers. Combined with YW of similar fruit, they have given me an excellent taste profile.

Thanks John. Appreciate the comments. I love using new beers in bread and cooking as well. Look forward to seeing some posts from you soon. Hope your weather is better for the beginning of Spring than it is here. Winter is being very stubborn and doesn't want to leave just yet.

Those are really attractive loaves, Ian, Lovely scoring! Mind you, the scoring you chose works better for the expansion of the loaves in the oven. The crust looks beautiful, with the reddish cast due to the Ale's dessolved sugars.

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